HomeBlogGlobal Fertilizer Day: How all nutrients work together to meet global food demand

October 13, 2017

Global Fertilizer Day: How all nutrients work together to meet global food demand

By Wolf Trax

The second annual Global Fertilizer Day is October 13, 2017. On this day, we celebrate the integral role fertilizer plays in feeding our growing world with safe, nutritious, sustainable food.

As a leading provider of plant nutrition, we thought this would be the perfect occasion to dig in to the science of plant nutrition, what plants need to succeed, and what products provide those necessities.

What do plants need?

By the numbers, plants require 17 elements to reach their potential. Three of those (hydrogen, carbon and oxygen) are obtained through air and water, so the remaining 14 need to be obtained through the soil. Those 14 nutrients are categorized into macronutrients, secondary nutrients and macronutrients.

Macronutrients are simply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, or N, P and K. These are considered the building blocks of all fertilizer.

So where do plants get these essential nutrients if they don’t have enough naturally in the soil? Growers can find significant sources of N, P and K (and more) in several products in our new lineup of water-soluble plant nutrition, ProAcqua®.

Phosphorus and nitrogen found in our Nu-Trax P+™, along with zinc and manganese, are essential for early-season growth and getting your plants off to the best start possible.

As you may have guessed, our Protassium+® sulfate of potash is a key source of potassium (50%), vital for drought and disease resistance as well as promoting healthy growth.

Secondary nutrients are no less essential; plants just require them in smaller quantities. These include calcium, magnesium and sulfur.

Get involved!

If this Global Fertilizer Day has you excited to learn more and share your appreciation for fertilizer, you’re not alone. We invite you to learn more here, and enter to win a Yeti® cooler just for sharing your fertilizer pride photos here!

About the Author Wolf Trax

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